Bumping post



July 11, 1961 w HAYES 2,991,727

BUMPING POST Filed Jan. 2, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 11, 1961 HAYES2,991,727

BUMPING POST Filed Jan. 2, 1959 5 Sheets-Shet 2 W is July 11, 1961 FiledJan. 2, 1959 -3- EEElLEF LEEL E mmwl wfiz I i m I J v 1mm m /1 4 July11, 1961 Filed Jan. 2, 1959 S. W. HAYES BUMPING POST 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 S.W. HAYES July 11, 1961 BUMPING POST 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 2, 1959INVENTQR.

mzuwx United States Patent G 2,991,727 BUMPING POST Stanley W. Hayes,Wayne Township, near Richmond,

Wayne County, Ind., assignor to Hayes Track Appliance Company, Richmond,Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Jan. 2, 1959, Ser. No. 784,734 '10Claims. (Cl. 104-254) The present invention relates to improvements inbumping posts and particularly bumping posts of the type in which abumper head located substantially centrally between the rails issupported above the rail by tension and compression means. Thisapplication is a continuation-inpart of application Serial No. 431,978,filed May 24, 1954, which, in turn, is a continuation-in-part ofapplication Serial No. 333,670, filed January 28, 1953 (now abandoned),both assigned to the assignee of this application.

The primary object of the present invention is the pro vision of a newand improved bumping post of a cushion type in which the forces ofimpact are transmitted in the main to the road bed in such manner thatthere is no damage to the car or lading or to the post itself.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a new andimproved bumping post which is adapted easily to be mounted relative tothe rails for longitudinal movement along them and which is providedwith structure extending below the rails into abutting relation with theties so that the forces of impact occurring when the bumping post isstruck by a moving car or the like are transmitted to the road bedthereby to pro vide a cushion stop of the car.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedbumping post so constructed and arranged that it will provide acushioned stopping of a railway car striking it and which can be knockedout of the track so as to minimize damage to the track and which can beplaced back upon the track with only minor repairs, if any, to the post.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bumping postof a construction such that it requires no drilling of rails or drivingof spikes or tightening of nuts in its installation on a railroad track.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bumping postincluding a generally rectangular or quadrangular foundation or baseframe having means at its front end engageable with the under side ofassociated rails and means at its rear engageable as with the upper sideof a rail base flange whereby the bumping post is, in substance, notclamped to the rails in any way such as would cause it to bind relativeto them and thus be damaged, or cause damage to the rails, under carimpact.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved bumping post of the character set forth in the precedingparagraph where the means associating the bumping post with the railsare constituted by rollers at each of four corners of the bumping post,the rollers at the front engaging the under side of associated rails andthe rollers at the rear being adapted to engage the upper sides of therail base flanges, the post being otherwise and primarily supported uponthe cross ties.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a new andimproved bumping post of the character set forth in the precedingparagraph in which the aforementioned rollers are detachably secured tothe bumping post, whereby the post can be readily installed in placeeither initially or after having been knocked out of the track as by aheavy or several impacts.

In brief, the bumping post of the present invention includes a bumperhead supported by tension and compression members of which the formerextend downwardly,

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forwardly, and divergently outwardly from the bumper head toward therails and the latter extend downwardly, outwardly and rearwardly fromthe head. The lower ends of the tension and compression members areconnected, as by welding, to a generally quadrangular or rectangularbase frame constituted by front and rear cross members andlongitudinally extending side members. The frame is of heavyconstruction and additional strength and rigidity are provided by adiagonal bracing structure located within the base frame andinterconnecting the corners thereof. In the main, the bumping post seatsupon and is supported by a number of cross ties upon which the framerests. In addition, it includes means at the front engaging theundersides of adjacent rail bases to prevent upward movement of the postunder stopping impact. Downward movement of the rear of the post isprevented by other means adapted to engage upwardly facing surfaces ofthe rails, such as the inner flanges of the bases of the rails. The railengaging means are preferably constituted by rollers movably secured tothe frame, there being one roller at each corner and the rollers beingdeteachable to permit simple and easy installareference is had to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bumping post construction inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the post of FIGURE 1 looking at it fromthe rear;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the post of the preceding figuresshown installed upon the track, the rear rail removed better toillustrate details of the post;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the post, the asso ciated railsbeing shown in phantom;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the post;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary bottom plan view;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken along line 77of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view taken along line88 of FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are enlarged vertical cross-sectional views taken alonglines 9-9 and 1010 of FIG. 8.

Referring now to the drawings and first particularly to FIGURES '1, 3and 8, the bumping post of the present invention is indicated as a wholegenerally by the reference character 10. It comprises a bumper head 12suprigid structure.

ported slightly off-center with respect to a pair of rails 14 which aresuitably secured in conventional manner as by the spikes 16 upon thecross ties 18 in the ballast 20.

The bumper head is mounted at the upper ends of a pair of compressionmembers 22, forming part of a compression unit indicated as a whole bythe reference character 24, secured at their ends to a cross piece 26forming part of a generally rectangular or quadrangular base frameconstructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention andindicated as a whole by reference character 30. The bumper head issupported also by a pair of tension members 32 forming part of a tensionunit and having their lower ends secured to a cross piece 36 alsoforming part of the base unit 30. The compression members divergeoutwardly, downwardly and rearwardly from the bumper head and thetension members diverge outwardly, downwardly and forwardly from thebumper head. The tension and compression members are secured to thebumper head to provide a strong and As far as the present invention isconcorned the bumper head and tension and compression units and themanner in which they are secured to each other may follow known art, thepresent invention having to do with the base unit and its relation tothe track structure and the compression and tension units by means ofwhich the post as a Whole is slidably mounted relative to the rails.

The base frame or unit 30 includes also a pair of longitudinallyextending side frame members 38 which like the cross members are formedof heavy channel structures and which are welded at their ends to thecross members and the lower ends of the tension and compression members.The primary connection of the lower ends of the compression and tensionmembers is to the cross members 26 and 36, respectively, the lower endsbeing cut so as to overlie the upper sides of the cross members as bestshown in FIGS. and 8. The corners of the bumping post are strengthenedby the relatively heavy horizontal plates 40', there being one at eachcorner welded to the side and cross members and to an associated lowerend of a tension or compression member. The lower ends of thecompression members are also strengthened by vertical end plates 42,welded to the ends of the members and upper side of the cross member 26.

' Additional rigidity is given to the post by a heavy diagonal bracestructure indicated as a whole by the reference character 44 comprisinga first diagonal brace 46 and a second two-part diagonal brace 48, thetwo parts of which are indicated by reference characters A and B. Theends of the braces are secured to the plates 40 and the central partsare strengthened and joined to each other and to a horizontal generallyoctagonal brace 50.

The base frame of the post is of a size so that it seats upon the tiesbetween the rails, as best shown in FIGURE 8. It is adapted to have anon-binding and slidable mounting relative to the rails, which mountingprevents upward movement of the front end of the post and a downwardmovement of the rear end of the post under stopping impact. The sideframe members also maintain the post oriented so that it will movelongitudinally of the track, also as illustrated in FIGURE 8. Ingeneral, the base unit may be considered as being in the plane of andbetween the rails.

The front end of the post is prevented from moving upwardly under carwheel impact by means engaging the undersides of the rail bases. In theillustrated embodiment of the invention, this means takes the form ofrollers 52 which are supported upon a plurality of spaced apart forwardextending plates 54 in removable manner by the cotter pins 56. The rearedges of plates 54 are welded to the front side of the cross member 36and the front edges of interconnecting plates 59. The latter are weldedto cross tie engaging abutment plates 58 and both the plates 58 and 59are welded to the under sides of plates 40. The plates are secured toeach other by Welding.

The rear end of the post is prevented from being depressed not only bythe seating of the post upon the cross ties, but by the meansconstituted by rollers 60 detachably mounted by the cotter pins 62 onthe plurality of plates 64 welded to the cross piece 26 and associatedplates 40. The rollers are mounted so as to engage an upwardly facingsurface of the track such as the upper inside surfaces of the railflanges, also as best illustrated in FIGURE 8.

The stopping impact is transmitted to the ties and ballast to provide acushion stop not only by abutment plate 58 at the front of the post butby additional plates 66 and vertical braces 68 welded to the horizontalplates 40 and the side frame members. The force of the impact isfurther-more transmitted at an intermediate point to intermediate tie.as by the plates 70 and associated strengthening braces "72 disposedsubstantially centrally of the bumping post.

It'will be observed from the foregoing detailed description that thebumping post may be installed without the drilling of rails or drivingof spikes or tightening of nuts. The installation simple requiresremoval of the front rollers 52. Then the post is lifted as by a craneinto place on the track with the base frame 30 seated upon the crossties between the rails. When so installed, the rear rollers 60 aredisposed above the rail base flanges. Thereafter, the front rollers 52are disposed in place with the outer ends projecting under the rails,all as shown in FIGURE 8. The installation is such that it can readilybe completed by two men in less than half an hour.

The installation is generally made so that there are some additionalties and ballasts to the rear of the post thereby to provide addedresistance to movement under impact. The resistance to movement shouldbe such that the post will not move very far under normal stoppingimpacts and such that under an extremely heavy impact the post will bemoved along the track and knocked out of the track without anysubstantial damage to the post. The result is that the track only willbe damaged and this damage can be repaired by track men in a very shorttime after which the bumping post can be reinstalled. In effect, thebumping post is actually a portable one.

An advantage of using the rollers as the track engaging means is that itdecreases the binding between the post and the track. Even if therollers did not roll with movement of the post, their circularconfiguration minimizes binding because of the line contact between themand the rails. Also the rolling of the rollers and movement of the postalong the track under impact acts to prevent injury or breakage of thetrack as well as the parts of the post. It is possible to make the postwithout the rear rollers 60 or their equivalent and rely on a tie andballast to prevent downward movement of the rear end of the post. Thisconstruction would not, however, be as satisfactory as that described.

As noted heretofore the bumping post is of Welded construction and thebase frame 30 is sufiiciently strong, especially when strengthened bythe cross piece structure 44, that the post moves as a unit and one partwill not buckle under stopping impact.

While the present invention has been illustrated and described inconnection with the details of a particular embodiment, it should beunderstood that such details are not intended to be limitative of theinvention except insofar as set forth in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by United StatesLetters Patent is as follows:

1. A bumping post for installation on track rails, including incombination, divergent compression and tension members having theirlower ends adjacent the rails, a bumper head supported by said members,a base frame located and slidably mounted between the rails and securedto and supporting the compression and tension members, said frame havingthrust transmitting structure extending below the rails into engagementwith rail supporting cross ties for transmitting the force of impact tothe ties and ballast, and means at the front of the bumping post andconnected to it for engaging the undersides the rail bases forpreventing upward movement of the front end of the post, and means atthe rear of the post and connected to it engaging upper surfaces of therails for preventing downward movement of the rear end of the post.

2. A bumping post for. installation on track rails supported on crossties, including in combination, divergent compression and tensionmembers having their lower ends adjacent the rails, a bumper headsupported by said members, a base frame slidably mounted on the tiesbetween the rails and secured to and supporting the compression andtension members, said frame having thrust transmitting structureextending below the rails into engagement with rail supporting crossties for transmitting the force of impact to the ties and ballast, andmeans at the front of the bumping post and connected to its for engagingthe undersides of the rail bases for preventing upward movement of thefront end of the post, and means at the rear of the post and connectedto it engaging upper surfaces of the rails for preventing downwardmovement of the rear end of the post.

3. A bumping post for installation on track rails, including incombination, a bumper head, means including compression and tensionmembers mounting said bumper head, a slidably mounted supporting baseframe including longitudinal and cross members located generally in theplane of and between the rails and having its cross members secured tothe compression and tension members, said frame including thrusttransmitting structure extending below the rails into engagement withrail supporting cross ties for transmitting the force of impact to theties and ballast, and means connected to the post for preventing upwardmovement of the front end of the post and for preventing downwardmovement of the rear end of the post.

4. A bumping post for installation on track rails, including incombination, divergent compression and tension members having theirlower ends adjacent the rails, a bumper head supported by said members,a base frame located generally in the plane of the rails and seated uponthe ties between the rails and having cross members secured to thecompression and tension members, said frame including thrusttransmitting structure extending below the rails into engagement withrail supporting cross ties for transmitting the force of impact to theties and ballast, and means connected to the post for preventing upwardmovement of the front end of the post and for preventing downwardmovement of the rear end of the post.

5. A bumping post for installation on track rails, including incombination, divergent compression and tension members having theirlower ends adjacent the rails, a bumper head supported by said members,a base frame located generally in the plane of the rails and seated uponthe ties between the rails and having cross members se cured to thecompression and tension members, said frame including thrusttransmitting structure adjacent its front and rear ends, extending belowthe rails into engagement with rail supporting cross ties fortransmitting the force of impact to the ties and ballast, and meansconnected to the post for preventing upward movement of the front end ofthe post.

6. A bumping post for installation on track rails, including incombination, divergent compression and tension members having theirlower ends adjacent the rails, a bumper head supported by said members,a quadrangular base frame located generally in the plane of and betweenthe rails and having cross members secured to the compression andtension members, said frame including thrust transmitting structureextending below the rails into engagement with rail supporting crossties for transmitting the force of impact to the ties and ballast, heavydiagonal cross bracing connecting the corners of the frame, and meansconnected to the post for preventing upward movement of the front end ofthe post and for preventing downward movement of the rear end of thepost.

7. A bumping post as claimed in claim 3 in which the means forpreventing upward movement of the front end of the post are constitutedby individual detachable structures adapted to extend outwardlyunderneath the rails from an adjacent side of the frame.

8. A bumping post as claimed in claim 3 in which the means forpreventing downward movement of the rear end of the post are constitutedby individual detachable structures adapted to extend outwardly from anadjacent side of the frame to overlie an upwardly facing surface of arail.

9. A bumping post as claimed in claim 7 in which said structures areconstituted by rollers.

10. A bumping post as claimed in claim 8 in which said structures areconstituted by rollers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,387,561 Scott Aug. 16, 1921 1,614,208 Rawie Jan. 11, 1927 1,746,007Miller Feb. 4, 1930 2,019,135 Jaeger Oct. 29, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS650,806 Germany Oct. 1, 1937

